


Scar & Miles' Big Darn Wedding

by Griselda_Gimpel



Series: Rebuilding Ishval [9]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Canon - Manga, Canon Compliant, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Heteronormativity, Humor, Ishbal | Ishval, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Promised Day, Slash, Stag Nights & Bachelor Parties, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, Wedding Fluff, Wedding Planning, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-02
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-08 01:46:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 7,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17972132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Griselda_Gimpel/pseuds/Griselda_Gimpel
Summary: When marriage equality comes to Amestris, Scar & Miles decide to get legally wed and make it a big celebration. Miles' family wants to "help" with the planning, and someone was foolish enough to let Yoki contribute to the Stag Party! Welcome to the final edition in the Rebuilding Ishval series.





	1. In Which Marriage Equality Comes to Amestris

**Author's Note:**

> This fan fiction contains a few jokes - and the bachelor party in Chapter 10 - that are just risque enough to perhaps merit a PG rating. As AO3 doesn't have a PG rating, consider this fan fiction to be rated a hard G.

                There weren’t many people in the courtroom. Garfiel and the love of his life, Joshua Berkovich, were there, of course. They were, after all, the star players in the case. Their attorney was there, as well. Their attorney had a very long, white beard and only a tuff of hair on his head. Joshua had explained about the sacredness of Ishvalan names, so Garfiel addressed the older man only as “Attorney”. It wasn’t the only title the man had used. Several years prior, when he’d been prosecuting the perpetrators of the genocide, he’d been called “the Prosecutor”.

                Winry Rockbell was also in the courtroom, for moral support. She gave Garfiel’s hand a reassuring squeeze. She’d finished her apprenticeship under Garfiel over a year prior. However, as Garfiel and Joshua did not intend to adopt any children, Garfiel has named Winry as the heir to Atelier Garfiel, which now had a second location in New Ishval.

                The only other people in the courtroom were the lawyer for the government and the clerk taking minutes. The High Court had heard all of the arguments and retired to make their decision. The case to be decided was one of tremendously importance, but it was – like most things about Garfiel – not considered to be “proper”. The newspapers spoke of it in the most delicate of euphemisms, and the more respectable members of polite society were doing their best to ignore the case all together.

                After a long time, the High Court returned and pronounced their judgement. Garfiel and Joshua stared at them in stunned silence. Garfiel was not a lawyer, and he was not quite sure that the High Court had said what he thought they had said.

                Joshua put Garfiel’s thoughts to words. “Did we win?” he asked.

                “Oh, you won all right,” said the Attorney.

                “Could you explain what just happened?” Winry asked. “I don’t think I quite got all the legalese.”

                The Attorney chuckled. “That’s the legal system for you. Anyway, the Ishval Annexation Act promised that Ishvalans would be free to follow our religion. As Mr. Berkovich here is Ishvalan, that applies to him.”

                Winry nodded along. “And you argued that the Ishvalan religion traditionally allowed marriage contracts to be drawn up between any two people, regardless of gender. So the High Court…?”

                “The High Court agreed with my argument,” the Attorney said. “They ruled that if Ishvalans are to be free to practice our religion, then Mr. Berkovich must be allowed to marry his beau right there. Further, they ruled that since sexual intimacy is an accepted part of marriage, Amestris’ anti-sodomy laws are invalid. Finally, due to the equality laws passed under the Keystone presidency, all of the above applies to everyone in Amestris, not just us Ishvalans.”

                “The court ruled all that?” Joshua asked in a wondering voice.

                “Yup,” said the Attorney.

                “I…I can’t believe it,” Garfiel said. “This is amazing.”

                “Honey, we can get married!” Joshua said. He grabbed Garfiel’s hands with his own and shook them ecstatically.

                “We’re getting married!” Garfiel exclaimed gleefully. “Oh, I’m so happy!”

                “Let’s get married right now!” Joshua said.

                “What do we need?” Garfiel asked. “Other than the rings, I mean?” Garfiel and Joshua had already purchased those. Win or lose the case, they intended to be husbands in each other’s eyes.

                “An Attorney, a witness, a canopy, and a bottle of bubbly, the latter two of which I have in my bag,” Joshua said. He winked. “I like to be prepared.”

                “I’d be happy to perform the ceremony,” the Attorney said. “I’ll draw up the marriage contract right away.”

                “I’d be honored to be the witness,” Winry said.

                Garfiel burst into happy sobs. He threw himself around Joshua’s neck. “This is the happiest day of my life!”


	2. In Which Scar and Miles Decide to Get Legally Married

                Scar and Miles were engaged in an adult activity when they got the news of marriage equality. Their adopted daughter Adva had been sent to a friend’s house for the day, and the cats had been herded outside so that Scar and Miles could have the kitchen table to themselves. They hadn’t been going at it for very long, but Scar was already worn out.

                “So I take my yearly income from line 5 and subtract it from my charitable deductions on line 8?” he asked Miles, thoroughly puzzled. He always had difficulty with taxes.

                “Other way around, love,” Miles said. Their taxes weren’t due for some time, but Miles always insisted that they get them done early.

                Outside, there was a thump against the door as the newspaper arrived. Scar was forever impressed with the newspaper delivery team; they never failed to get the newspaper over the moat that encircled the property. A few years back, Miles had inquired into the matter and discovered that they used a slingshot mechanism. Nevertheless, their aim was impeccable.

                “It would be easier if we could just file our taxes jointly,” Scar griped as Miles went to fetch the newspaper. While Scar and Miles were married in the religious sense, they were not married in the eyes of the law.

                “Why don’t we?” Miles asked, as he picked up the newspaper and scanned the headlines.

                “It’s against the law,” Scar reminded him.

                “Not anymore!” Miles revealed gleefully, showing him the front page of the newspaper.

                “Is this for real?” Scar asked.

                Miles sped read through the article. “It is!”

                “We can get legally married?”

                “We can!” Miles exclaimed. “Let’s do it!”

                “Should we head down to the courthouse right now? No, we should get Adva first.”

                Miles shook his head. “We couldn’t have a big ceremony last time,” Miles said, “because we couldn’t risk drawing attention to ourselves. I want to have a big ceremony this time.”

                “Anything you want,” Scar said. “We can invite your family.”

                “They’ll want us to do it properly,” Miles said. “I want to do it properly, too.”

                “Properly?” Scar asked.

                Miles nodded. “There are Aerugan wedding traditions, Amestrian wedding traditions, and Cretan wedding traditions I want to follow, along with the Ishvalan ones.”

                “Absolutely,” Scar said. “You’ll have to take the lead on those, though. I’m not very family with them.”

                “Don’t worry,” Miles said, “we’ll hear all about them from my family, no doubt.”

                Scar didn’t know what to make of the slightly ominous tone in Miles’ voice when he delivered the pronouncement.  


	3. In Which Miles' Family Gets Involved

                The telephone in Scar and Miles’ home was a relatively new edition, but it came in handy for informing Miles’ family of the matrimonial news. He didn’t need to call every member of his family individually. All he had to do was call his mother and father. His father then called _his_ parents. Miles’ paternal grandfather – Grandfather Lekan – called his sister Abeni, who called all of her children and grandchildren. Miles’ paternal grandmother - Grandmother Alice - called her cousin Denise, who passed the word on. Miles’ maternal grandmother – Grandmother Ciara – lived with her daughter and son-in-law. She waited until her son-in-law was done on the phone and promptly called her sister Damhnait, who made sure her children and the children of their late brother had the news.

                In Scar and Miles’ home in New Ishval, Scar began sketching out a family tree on a sheet of paper. “And Aunt Damhnait’s children are…er…Daragh, Duane, and, um…”

                “Doran,” Miles said. “And Doran is Derval’s father. And Grandfather Lekan took his wife’s last name, which is why it’s Miles, but Great-Aunt Abeni also married a man with the last name Miles, so they’re all Miles, too.”

                “How do I address your parents?” Scar asked.

                “Maeve and Albert would be fine,” Miles said. “Unless you want to call them Mum and Pop.”

                Scar gripped his pencil so hard it snapped. “Which is it?” he asked worriedly.

                Miles laughed. “When you greet them, open your mouth and whichever comes out will be correct.”

                After that, the phone rung constantly, as Miles’ family called to make sure that Miles was doing things properly.

                “Of course we have a bell,” Miles said when Grandmother Ciara called.

                “What’s a Claddagh ring? And do we need a set?” Scar hastily whispered to Miles, covering the phone with his hand, when Grandmother Ciara called back fifteen minutes later.

                “Just say yes,” Miles whispered back.

                “Your grandmother is giving us the Claddagh rings she used when she married her husband,” Scar said, after he hung up the phone.

                “Oh my goodness,” Miles said. “That’s so sweet of her.”

                “Sweet of Grandmother Ciara to give us Claddagh rings,” Scar muttered out loud as he scribbled the note on the family tree he had made, next to the note that ready _Everyone is named Miles_.

                “Sure,” Miles said when his cousin Derval called. “We don’t have a horseshoe yet, so send one over!”

                The horseshoe arrived the same day as the broomstick. Scar carried them both in. “So the horseshoe is for luck, and the broom is…um…?”

                “We jump over it,” Miles explained. “When Amestris absorbed Aerugan land to the south, there was a period where the government refused to issue marriage licenses to Aerugans. So jumping the broomstick became a wedding tradition, since the government couldn’t refuse to let Aerugans have those.”

                “Why do we need a different broomstick than the one we already have?” Scar asked, pointing to the existing broomstick in the corner.

                “Because it’s no longer the olden days, we want a special broomstick for our special day,” Miles explained.

                “Yes, that makes sense,” Scar said. “Thank you for explaining.” He carefully set the new broomstick on a shelf. Understanding the tradition meant that he could properly appreciate it.

                When Cousin Denise called, Scar was the one who picked up the phone, as he was closer to it than Miles.

                “The garter?” he asked. He was not familiar with this Amestrian tradition from Winry’s double wedding with May. He covered the phone with his hand and asked Miles, “Will you be removing my garter with your teeth? Also, what is a garter?” Miles made a choking sound, snatched the phone from Scar, and tersely informed Cousin Denise that there would be no garter.

                Scar was also the one to answer the phone when Great-aunt Abeni called. Miles was not on hand for explanations for that one, so Scar found him after hanging up the phone.

                “Which of us is the flower?” Scar asked. The conversation had left Scar thoroughly confused.

                Miles called Great-aunt Abeni back to explain that neither of them were the flower, since they were both men. “Yes, you can be an _alaga_ ,” he said over the phone. “We’d be absolutely honored. No, I’m afraid Ezekiel doesn’t have an _alaga_. Yes, you can call him Scar or Ezekiel; he likes both equally. No, he really doesn’t have anyone to be his _alaga_. Look, Great-aunt Abeni, I know it’s not traditional, but he really doesn’t have anyone. Look, please, can we just not… Okay, good-bye.”

                “What was that about?” Scar asked. He felt a ping of worry. It had sounded heated. “She’s still going to come, right?”

                “Of course,” Miles said. “She’d never turn her back on family. She’d also never pass up a chance to be an _alaga_.” He gave a chuckle.

                “Uh…what’s an _alaga_?”

                “Aerugan tradition. She’s like, uh, a presenter. We’re both going to give her money at the start of the ceremony. Usually, there’s two, one for each member of the couple.”

                “I have nuts!” Grandfather Lekan declared triumphantly at the start of one phone call. It was Scar who answered. He was beginning to dread answering the phone.

                “I am very happy for you,” Scar said diplomatically. Scar hung up the phone and found Miles. “Your grandfather Lekan has nuts. Please explain.”

                Miles laughed. “We’re going to exchange kola nuts as part of the ceremony. Last time I spoke with him, he said he was going to procure some. He’s also providing the four flavors of marriage for our meal together.”

                “We haven’t selected the best men, yet,” Scar said when Grandmother Alice called. “It’s on our To Do list. No, I don’t think we’re going to have a bouquet toss. Miles! Are we going to have a bouquet toss? No, we’re not going to have a bouquet toss. Well, I suppose I could toss the horseshoe. No, no, never mind. That’s a terrible idea. We won’t be tossing anything.”

                Eventually, after a family discussion, Scar and Miles disconnected the phone so that they could actually focus on planning the wedding without further input from family members.


	4. In Which the Best Men Are Selected

                After speaking with Miles, Major General Olivier Mira Armstrong called President Mustang to make arrangements for her leave of absence so that she could participate in the marriage ceremony. Olivier had been skeptical of Mustang’s presidency, but outgoing president Isaiah Keystone had been adamant that respecting the will of the voters was of the upmost importance.

                “Mustang did terrible things in the past,” Isaiah had told Olivier after the last election, “but I always knew that something like this was inevitable. I have worked hard that I might leave the office far less powerful than it was when I entered it. Authority is now less concentrated in this country, so we have less to fear of who assumes any one specific position.”

                “Good evening, Major General,” said President Mustang after Olivier was put through.

                “And to you, sir,” Olivier said. “I will need to take a few days leave from Fort Briggs. Jerso will assume command in my absence.”

                “What is the occasion, if I might ask?”

                “Colonel Miles is getting officially married,” Olivier said. “He has requested that I be his best man.”

                “Ah, so the best man for the job is a woman?” President Mustang asked, giving a small laugh.

                “Yes, sir,” Olivier said.

                “That shouldn’t be a problem,” President Mustang said. “Have a good time.”

                “Thank you, sir,” Olivier said. “And give my best to your husband.”

                “I’ll tell Roy you said that,” said President Riza Mustang.

                Scar had to track down the Circus Animalis Animus to locate his best man. He discovered that the circus was near New Optain. He took a train out there on his off day and met Yoki for lunch.

                “Miles and I are getting legally married,” Scar explained.

                “Congratulations,” Yoki said.

                “I’d like you to be my best man.”

                “What? Really?”

                “Yes,” Scar said. “My brother is dead. Master Isaiah is marrying us, of course. I’ve asked May to be the ring-bearer, and it can’t be Miles because I’m marrying him. So that leaves you.”

                “So I’m your fifth choice?’ Yoki asked.

                “Yes,” Scar said.

                “But I’m still the best, right?” Yoki asked.

                “Yes,” Scar said. “It is in the title. You will be my _best_ man.”

                “Not the okay man or fifth choice man, but _bes_ t man?”

                “That is correct.”

                “Okay, I’ll do it. But you’d better not get cold feet!”

                “I don’t intend to, but…why?”

                “If you don’t marry Miles, I have to,” Yoki explained. “That’s the job of the best man.”

                “Not that it’ll come to that, but what is your objection to marrying Miles?” Scar asked, feeling rather like he had to come to Miles’ defense.

                “I don’t like his side burns!” Yoki squeaked.

                “Well, I do,” Scar said.

                “I would hope so,” Yoki retorted. “You’re marrying him.”


	5. In Which Alex is Not Miles' Groomsman

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alex is in Ishval due to events that transpired in Democracy in Amestris.

                Alex Louis Armstrong offered to construct the canopy. More specifically, when Alex heard that there was to be a wedding, he practically begged Scar and Miles to let him help out in some way, and they finally tasked him with the canopy so that they could get on with the wedding planning. It was to be assembled in gardens behind the temple. There was a nice path overhung with fruit trees that would serve as an aisle. The path opened into a larger area where chairs and the canopy could be set up.

                All things considered, Alex didn’t need to construct the canopy quite so far in advance of the wedding, but Scar and Miles weren’t going to complain. Rain was infrequent enough in Ishval not to be an issue. The canopy was made of two sturdy posts with a sheet of white gauze draped between them. Alex had ripped up two trees from closer to the center of Amestris and carried them back to New Ishval on his own.

                “Looks good,” Miles told him when Alex announced that he was finished. Miles lowered his voice. “That’s how an Ishvalan wedding canopy supposed to look, right?” he whispered to Scar.

                Scar nodded. “Have you thought about who will be in your wedding party?” Although the names of the roles differed, the wedding party was a tradition among Ishvalans, Aerugans, Amestrians, and Cretans.

                “I want to have David, if that okay with you,” Miles said.

                “Your ex?”

                “Uh huh. We stayed friends after we broke up, and while I haven’t seen him as much since coming to Ishval, I still want him to be there.”

                “Then he should be there,” Scar said. “I’m going to ask Luke to be in my wedding party.”

                “The boy who pulled you out of the river with his grandfather?” Miles asked.

                “He’s not a boy anymore,” Scar said. “He’s old enough to be married himself!” He chuckled and then continued. “Without his actions, I never would have survived to meet you. There is another I wish to have, as well.”

                “Then I’ll need another,” Miles said. “So our wedding parties are balanced.”

                It was at this point that Alex’s discarded shirt hit Scar in the face, as Alex struck a pose. “I would be honored to be in your wedding party!” Alex declared.

                “Actually,” Miles said, “I’m going to ask your sister.”

                “I though Olivier was your best man?” Alex protested.

                “Your other sister,” Miles said. “Strongine. You wouldn’t deprive your sister of that honor, would you?”

                “Oh, no. No, of course not,” Alex assured him, reluctantly retrieving his shirt and putting it back on.

                “Why Strongine?” Scar asked Miles later.

                “We almost got married ourselves, if you can believe it.”

                “What? Really? You never told me about this.”

                Miles chuckled and then looked somber. “It was after the Extermination Campaign first started. Major General Armstrong had this idea that I could marry into the family. That way I’d be protected, you know? So she set up a secret dinner date between me and Strongine.”

                “I’m guessing it didn’t go well,” Scar said.

                “Not in the slightest,” Miles said. “But at the end of it, Strongine – and she was pretty upset by this point – demanded to know if I even liked women.” Miles rubbed the back of his head. “There was too much going on for me to really process it at the time, but later, after I’d worked through my grief some, I realized that I _didn’t_ like women. Ernest and I started seeing each other discretely a bit after that. And Strongine and I patched things up, obviously.”

                “You hadn’t realized before then?” Scar asked.

                “Nope,” Miles said. “The rest of Amestris isn’t like Ishval. And I wanted so badly to, to, you know, fit in. To be accepted. I probably had half a dozen semi-serious relationships with women in my twenties. Could never figure out why they didn’t work out. Strongine helped me put the pieces in place.”  

                “Then it would be wonderful for her to accompany you down the aisle,” Scar said.

                “I’ll call her right away,” Miles said. “Um…after I reconnect the telephone, I mean.”


	6. In Which Winry is Extended an Invitation

                For the last member of the wedding party, Scar took a walk over to the Ishval branch of Atelier Garfiel. The shop was attached to the Sarah & Yuriy Rockbell Automail Wing of the New Light Memorial Hospital. Scar knew this because Scar was the one who’d made the building addition. These days, he was by no means the only alchemist in Ishval who was had experience in building construction, but it was for Winry, so Scar had wanted to make sure it was perfect.

                “Hello,” he said when she opened the door.

                “Oh, hello Scar,” she said. “Come on it. Naomi’s just picking out leg styles.” Naomi Kanda had been one of the first soldiers Miles had recruited in rebuilt Ishval, until an explosion had resulted in most of both of her legs being amputated. Last Scar had heard, she’d been in Drachma as part of the peace delegation.

                “Hello,” Scar said to Naomi after he had come in. “I didn’t know you’d gotten back.”

                “Just last week,” Naomi said. She maneuvered her wheelchair so that she could face Scar. “Drachma was, well, Drachma was an experience. But I’m glad I went.”

                “You are in excellent hands for the surgery,” Scar told her.

                “I know I am,” Naomi said. “Why I don’t I wait outside so you two can talk?” With a wave to Winry, she wheeled herself out the door.

                “So why did you stop by?” Winry asked. She looked at Scar curiously. He decided not to beat around the bush but just get it out quickly.

                “I was hoping that you’d be my bridesmaid,” Scar said. “Miles and I are getting legally married.”

                “You’re brides…maid?” Winry asked, giving him a strange look.

                “I’d okay if you don’t want to be,” Scar assured her hastily. He mentally berated himself for his presumptuousness. He started to turn to leave.

                “No, wait, that’s not it.”

                “What?”

                “I just don’t think that is the correct term,” Winry said slowly. “I’d guess I’d be your, uh, groomsmaid?”

                “Oh. Would you do me the honor of being my groomsmaid, then?” A note of hope crept into Scar’s voice. He wished it hadn’t. Hopes could only be dashed if they existed in the first place.

                “Why…what made you ask me?”

                Scar fumbled to get the right words out. “The wedding party is supposed to be people who had an important impact on your life,” Scar managed. “I felt that you more than qualified. You have greatly shaped my path through life – and for the better. But do not feel pressured to say yes if you do not wish to.”

                Winry didn’t say anything at first. Then she wiped her eye for some reason. She caught the apprehensive look on Scar’s face and said, “Yes. I won’t say I was ever expecting this, but, yes, I’d be happy to.”

 


	7. In Which There is an Act of Mercy

                To fulfil the next wedding tradition, Scar had to do quite a bit of traveling around Ishval. His final destination, however, was the prison cell of Dr. Tim Marcoh. He nodded to the prison guards and then glanced at the wall of the cell adjoining Marcoh’s. It housed former State Alchemist Bart Kirchner, and Marcoh had just used alchemy to inscribed I DON’T KNOW HOW TO PERSUADE YOU THAT YOU SHOULD CARE ABOUT PEOPLE. IT’S BASIC HUMAN DECENCY on the walls.

                When Marcoh saw Scar, he signed _Hello._ Marcoh had lost his tongue years prior doing what was possible to help the surviving members of the Immortal Legion. Each individual soul that had been trapped in the Philosopher’s Stones that had powered those monstrosities now had a construct body, and they were all living out their lives in Ishval.

                “Hello,” Scar said. He clutched the papers in his hand. It was a copy. He had filed the original in the courthouse before coming here. “I am getting married. Legally, I mean. To Miles, obviously.”

                Marcoh held his hands – palms flat – eye level and moved them back and forth. _Congratulations!_

                 “Thank you,” Scar said. “I am here because it is an Ishvalan tradition for there to be an act of mercy on important days. It might be two families putting aside an old quarrel or a monetary debt being forgiven…or the sentence of a prisoner being commuted.” Marcoh’s head snapped up sharply, and Scar smiled. He handed the papers to Marcoh. “This is your copy. I spoke with the judge, and he said if I could get at least 3/4ths of the population in Ishval to agree, your sentence would be commuted to time served. You’re a free man, Dr. Marcoh.”

                Marcoh stared at Scar, flabbergast. Finally, he signed, _I do not deserve this_.

                “Nor could you have earned it,” Scar said. “That is what makes it an act of mercy. Now, you’re welcome to stay in Ishval, of course, but if you wanted to leave-”

                Marcoh brought his right hand up, fingers sprayed, and moved it vehemently up in down. _I’ll stay._ Further signs followed, and he added that there was a town he’d want to visit. _But I need to continue atoning by working at the hospital for the rest of my life_ , he concluded.

                “In that case, you’ll need a home,” Scar said. “I can arrange for one to be constructed. Until then, Miles and I have a guest bedroom. If you’d like, you’re welcome to stay with us until we can get you settled.”

                Marcoh brought is hands up to his lips and then moved them outward. _Thank you so much._ With some further signs, he asked, _May I hug you?_

                “If you must,” Scar said, and Marcoh promptly threw his arms around Scar’s chest. “There’s no need to cry,” Scar added, as tears started to leak from the corners of Marcoh’s eyes.

                Marcoh let go of Scar and signed _Thank you so much_ again. _I can never repay you_ , he added. He moved his hands as if he was going to sign more, but they did not make any coherent movements. Finally, Marcoh simply spread his arms out for another hug. After Scar nodded, Marcoh dropped to his knees and threw his arms around Scar’s legs, burying his face in Scar’s legs just above the knees. He was sobbing heavily now. Scar sighed, bent down, and gently patted Marcoh on the back of the head. Well, okay, maybe it was a good reason to cry.


	8. In Which the Flower Girl Upsets Her Flowers

                “I don’t want to be a flower girl!”

                This came from Scar and Miles’ adopted daughter Adva. It wasn’t an expected view, and her two fathers stared at her in surprise.

                “You were a lovely flower girl at Winry and May’s double wedding,” Miles protested.

                “Only little girls are flower girls!” Adva wailed, dissolving into tears. “I’m thirteen.”

                “It’s okay, sweetheart,” Scar tried to assure her.

                “No it’s not!” Adva shouted. Grabbing her flower basket, she flung it against the wall of her room, where the handle separated from the rest of the basket.

                Miles put a gentle hand on Scar’s arm. “Let’s give her time to cool off,” he suggested.

                Scar nodded and they left. “I was never like that as a child,” Scar remarked when they were out of earshot.

                Miles chuckled. “I was.” He cast a sidelong look at Scar. “She’s not actually upset about being a flower girl, you know?”

                “Hm?”

                “She’s still learning to identify and vocalize her needs.”

                “I see.”

                “The teenage years are tough.”

                Marcoh ran across Adva next. He was enjoying the outdoors when he came across her in a secluded spot in the yard. She had a thick textbook opened up before her, and her broken flower girl basket lay in a circle made of rocks. Marcoh coughed to get her attention, and then peered down at her work.

                He frowned and then held up his right hand with the thumb and pinkie extended. He twisted his wrist while shaking his head. _That’s wrong._

                “What?” Adva asked.

                Marcoh pointed at a line of text in the book and then at the associated part of the rock circle. Adva’s eyes widened as she saw that they weren’t equivalent. Shifting a few stones around, she touched the circle with both hands. There was a flare of light, and then her basket was as good as new. Marcoh clapped his hands in approval.

                “Thanks,” Adva said. “Alchemist Daddy says I’m too young to get tattoos like he has, and Uniform Daddy only knows a few things about alchemy. We’ve got some books, but it’s so hard learning on my own! I’m so stupid!”

                Marcoh tapped his right index finger against his forehead, tapped the knuckles of his hands together, and then made an outward waving motion with his right hand – all while shaking his head. _You’re not stupid._

                A glimmer of an idea came into Adva’s eyes. Grabbing her repaired basket, she raced into the house. Maroch ambled behind her, arriving just in time to hear Adva inform her fathers, “I’ll be the flower girl, but only if Dr. Marcoh teaches me alchemy. Please? Please please please!”

                “Told you,” Miles muttered to Scar, who chuckled. To Adva, he said, “And what else?”

                Adva looked ashamed. “I’m sorry for losing my temper and throwing my basket. It wasn’t very mature of me.”

                “It’s up to Dr. Marcoh if he’ll teach you alchemy,” Scar said.

                _It would be my pleasure_ , Marcoh signed. _I can teach her in the evenings._


	9. In Which Miles' Family Comes to Ishval and Wedding Attire is Discussed

                As Marcoh had offered to teach Adva alchemy as a neighborly favor, it was decided that his house would be next door. That said, wedding planning took up so much time that Scar didn’t have a chance to construct it before the wedding. As such, Marcoh continued to reside in the guest bedroom, which posed difficulties when Miles’ family began to arrive.

                “I’m going to need to get rid of the moat,” Scar said Miles. “Grandfather Lekan and Great-aunt Abeni can’t be expected to climb stairs in their age.” He was going to have to add rooms on the ground level.

                “We don’t need it anymore, anyway,” Miles said. “With the anti-sodomy laws overturned, we don’t have to worry about being arrested.”

                “It’s gone, then,” Scar said, and he began to move the earth around to make a guest room for Miles’ cousin Derval and her family.

                “We could have some of them stay at an inn,” Miles suggested.

                Scar shook his head vehemently. “Family is a blessing.”

                Miles’ paternal grandmother Alice arrived with her cousin Denise (who she’d been visiting) and Denise’s family. Scar was out running an errand despite it being near dust, so it was that it was Marcoh who answered the door. He shook their hands and wrote WELCOME on his notepad when they arrived. Miles came up behind him then.

                Grandmother Alice pulled Miles aside and in a voice that wasn’t nearly quiet enough whispered, “Isn’t he a bit old for you, dear?”

                Miles cringed as Marcoh doubled over in laughter. “That isn’t Scar,” Miles explained.

                “But he’s got scars on his face!” Denise protested. Both Denise and Grandmother Alice claimed that the newspaper couldn’t be trusted and so didn’t read it – which meant that they hadn’t seen a picture of Scar before.

                “This is Dr. Tim Marcoh,” Miles said. “He’s Adva’s alchemy tutor.”

                PLEASURE TO MEET YOU, Marcoh wrote.

                Grandmother Alice looked embarrassed. “I thought he was rather pale for an Ishvalan.”

                Grandmother Ciara arrived with her daughter and son-in-law. Scar stepped forward to greet Miles’ parents, opened his mouth, and the words, “Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Miles’ parents” came tumbling out.

                “Mum and Pop is fine, dear,” said Miles’ mother. “You’re well past the courtship stage with our son.”

                “Thank you,” Scar said. There was a beat, and then he added, “Mum.”

                Then Miles introduced Grandmother Ciara to Scar, and tears began to stream down her face.

                “What is wrong?” Scar asked, alarmed.

                Grandmother Ciara gestured to the sash he wore across his chest. “I’m sorry. It just makes me so happy to see Ishvalans in Ishval wearing the Sash of Ishvala again.”

                “This is her first time coming back to Ishval since my grandfather was murdered,” Miles whispered.

                Scar gently embraced Grandmother Ciara. “Ishvala has blessed us with many wonderful things these days.”

                Grandmother Ciara reached into her purse and pulled out a length of rope. After first Scar thought the three cords that made up it were in three different colors – red, green, and brown – but when he looked closer, he saw that the brown was actually made up of the same red and green so tightly interwoven that it appeared to be its own color.

                “For the hand-fasting part of the ceremony,” Grandmother Ciara said. “It’s a Cretan tradition.”

                “It’s beautiful,” Scar told her.

                Great-Aunt Abeni and her family arrived with her brother Grandfather Lekan, only to promptly disappear off to town. There she asked every stranger she came across if there was anyone who’d known Scar when he was young. She found success with Mistress Shan at the New Light Memorial Hospital.

                “Why is it that you ask?” Mistress Shan asked.

                “He’s getting married, and he doesn’t have an _alaga_ ,” Great-Aunt Abeni said. “It’s simply not right.”

                “What’s an _alaga_?” Mistress Shan asked.

                “Like a presenter,” Great-Aunt Abeni explained. “Scar needs an _alaga_ to introduce him.”

                “And you want me to do that?” Mistress Shan said.

                “If you know him,” Great-Aunt Abeni said. “I know Scar doesn’t care – he’s not Aerugan – but I’ll not have my great-nephew marry a man who has no one to introduce him.”

                “I know him all right,” Mistress Shan said, “but it’s not that easy. Scar, well, he did something very bad, quite some time ago.”

                “How bad?” Great-Aunt Abeni asked.

                “Murder bad,” Mistress Shan said. “It was, it was _then_ , and…” Mistress Shan swallowed hard. “Oh, Ishvala preserve me, I’d been intending to die angry at that man!”

                “I’m afraid I don’t follow,” Great-Aunt Abeni said.

                “He didn’t mean it,” Mistress Shan whispered, almost to herself, “but Yuriy and Sarah, oh, the poor souls. And he left their little daughter an orphan. Little Winry!”

                Great-Aunt Abeni cocked her head to the side. “Not Winry Rockbell?”

                “I only know of one,” Mistress Shan said. “How do you know that name?”

                “My great-nephew mentioned her,” Great-Aunt Abeni said. “I remembered ‘cause she’s going to be in Scar’s wedding party.”

                “What.”

                “She’ll be walking with him down the aisle.”

                “You can’t be serious.”

                “My hearing isn’t what it used to be, but I’m certain I have the name right.”

                “Stay right here,” Mistress Shan said. She hobbled off. It was nearly half an hour before she returned.

                “What was all that about?” Great-Aunt Abeni asked. She noted the remnants on tears Mistress Shan’s cheeks.

                “I just spoke with Winry,” Mistress Shan said. “I’ll do it.”

                The good news was that by the time all of Miles’ family had arrived, just about everything for the ceremony had already been decided. This proved to be fortuitous when the topic of Miles’ wedding attire came up.

                “I was thinking that you could wear the dashiki I wore when I got married,” Grandfather Lekan said. “I brought it with me, and it should fit you, just about.”

                “Can he wear a dashiki with a kilt?” asked Grandmother Ciara.

                “I don’t know,” said Grandfather Lekan. “Would the kilt look good with blue?”

                Grandmother Alice spoke up. “I was hoping that he’d wear a tux. Maybe he could wear that with a kufi cap? And the kilt, I suppose.”

                Miles interrupted before he was saddled with wearing all of the outfits at the same time. “Actually, I’m going to wear my dress military uniform.”

                There were immediate protests from all of his grandparents. Scar came to his rescue. “I need Miles to come to the bedroom right now so that-” Scar floundered for an excuse that the elders wouldn’t contradict. “-we can have sex.” The words were out of Scar’s mouth before his mind could process what he had said, but it worked. As the grandparents all stared at him in stunned silence, Scar grabbed Miles’ hand and extracted him from the discussion.

 


	10. In Which There is a Donkey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone! I'll be flying this summer, so I'm looking to download some longer fan fics before the flight so that I have something to read. If you have any suggestions, feel free to drop them in the comments. No Royed, please.

                It was decided that the bachelor party would be a joint bachelor party organized by Olivier and Yoki together. They rented a hall in New Ishval. Olivier’s involvement was why the finest of wine and beer flowed. Yoki’s involvement was why there were dancing girls.

                Scar and Miles sat together in front of the stage. Marcoh was on the other side of Scar, and Olivier was on the other side of Miles. Yoki was being dragged through the hall as he clutched a length of rope tied around the neck of a donkey. A carelessly doffed article of clothing fell in Scar’s lap. He calmly removed it and took another drink of his beer and continued talking.

                “I’m afraid I don’t get this tradition,” Scar said.

                “I thought Ishvalans had a version of the stag party, too?” Olivier asked.

                “We do,” Scar said. “I still do not get it.”

                “What do you mean?” Miles asked.

                “I am happier with you than when before I was with you,” Scar explained, downing his drink.  A server came by and poured him another. “I do not see why I should celebrate the former. Also, we’ve been married in Ishvala’s eyes for years now. All that’s going to change tomorrow is that we’ll be married in the eyes of the law, too.”

                Miles shrugged. “It’s tradition. What I don’t understand is: why is there a donkey?”

                Scar and Miles both glanced behind them, where the donkey had backed Yoki into one of the tables. Yoki was attempting to regain his lost hold on the rope leash. The donkey was attempting to bite Yoki’s fingers off.

                “I have been afraid to ask,” Scar said.

                Olivier paid no heed to her co-planner. She was watching the dancing girls. That was to say, she was watching one dancing girl in particular. If the dancing girl had been wearing a military uniform and had shorter hair and no bosom, Olivier would have sworn she would have looked just like Roy Mustang. Olivier blinked. No, there was no doubt about it. It was Roy Mustang. Olivier stood up and moved a few seats down, until she was directly before her dancing rival.

                “Are you that bored, being the first lady?” she mocked. (After Riza Mustang’s election, there had been much discussion on what her husband’s title would be. It was eventually decided that “first lady” was a gender-neutral term. Olivier, who had answered to “sir” for years, thoroughly approved.)

                Mustang frowned when he saw that he’d been found out. “No such thing. I am happy to support Riza in her presidency. God knows she deserves it, for what she did for our relations with Drachma.”

                “That was impressive,” Olivier said. “So why are you in drag? And how are you in drag?”

                “Second question first,” Mustang said. “I have a connection with the proprietor that Yoki used.”

                “Madam Christmas?”

                “Correct. As for your first question, well,” Mustang said. He hesitated and gave a wishful smile. “I wanted to see Ishval. Now that it’s been rebuilt, I mean. It’s _beautiful_.”

                “And you were too chicken shit to come in your own clothes?”

                “No,” Mustang said. “I didn’t want to upset anyone.”

                “The two grooms are going to be very upset if they discover the Flame Alchemist is one of their dancing girls.”

                Mustang rolled his eyes. “They aren’t even looking at the dancing girls. Which, you know, not surprising.”

                “Yoki was responsible for that part,” Olivier said curtly.

                “And the donkey?”

                “Obviously,” Olivier said.

                There was a crash from the center of the room. Olivier turned to see that Yoki was now clinging to one of the chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. The donkey had his front hooves up on the table, and the glass wear that had been on the table was now shattered on the floor.

                Olivier returned to where Scar and Miles were. Scar was still drunkenly musing on the nature of bachelor parties.

                “I understand that getting very drunk is also an important tradition?” Scar asked.

                “Yup,” Miles said.

                “In that case,” Scar said, “I do believe that I am quite inebriated. I would swear that that dancing girl over there looks just like the Flame Alchemist.”


	11. In Which Legal Documents Are Filed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it: the last chapter of the last fan fic in the Rebuilding Ishval series. 
> 
> Anyway, if you're involved in the planning of a wedding, I'd beseech you: do NOT emulate Miles' family in this chapter! Making last minutes changes to the wedding without the authorization of the bride(s) and/or groom(s) is not cool!

                The next morning, after everyone had woken up with groans, showered, drank coffee, and groaned some more, it was time to get ready for the ceremony. Scar put on the robes he reserved for special occasions. As Yoki was still groaning, May tied Scar’s sash neatly across his chest.       

                “You look very handsome, Mr. Scar,” she told him. Then she poked Yoki until he put on his own attire.

                There had been much discussion as to the specifics of the ceremony. It had eventually been decided that Adva would enter first, throwing flowers. Next would come May with the rings. She would be followed by Miles with his parents and the rest of his entourage, and then by Scar and his entourage. They’d both pay Great-Aunt Abeni as the _alaga_ , who would be announcing Miles but not Scar. Miles had the bell, and Scar would carry the horseshoe. They’d meet under the wedding canopy for the vows and the exchanging of rings. Then they’d do the hand fasting part of the ceremony, step on the bottle, jump over the broom, and eat their marriage meal. After that, they’d sign the marriage contract.

                At the start of the aisle, Scar waited for his cue. In one hand, he gripped the horseshoe. In the other hand, he held money for the _alaga_. Winry, Luke, and Yoki had money, as well. The cue came, and Winry and Luke proceeded down the aisle. Scar and Yoki started after them. They got only a few steps before Yoki stumbled into one of the fruit trees that lined the aisle. Scar looped one of his arms through Yoki’s arm to keep him on tract. Yoki had been up half the night with nightmares about donkeys. Scar tightened his grip on the horseshoe as they approached the beginning of the clearing where the guests were. That was where the _alaga_ was sitting.

                Or would that be _alagas_? Scar was surprised to see that there were two old women there, one on each side of the aisle. He was even more surprised to see that Mistress Shan was the second one. Each had a wooden bowl in front of them.  

                “I’m your _alaga_ ,” Mistress Shan whispered in confirmation. Great-aunt Abeni nodded from across the aisle. Scar didn’t know what to say, so he simply dropped half the coins in each bowl. Yoki did the same, and then Scar thrust him forward down the aisle after Luke and Winry. If he had an _alaga_ , then he knew there was something she was to say.

                “Go ahead,” he told her.

                Mistress Shan projected her voice across the crowd. “Presenting Ezekiel Keystone, called Scar, of Kanda. He was a great warrior in the Civil War and a great warrior when all was thought to be lost. His actions won us our homeland, and his alchemy built so much of what we have today. He is the author of the Alchemic Scriptures in our holy texts, and he is the adopted father of a darling little girl. He comes here today to be legally wed with Colonel Miles. Let him proceed.”

                “You’re doing great,” Great-Aunt Abeni whispered to her, and Scar began his journey alone down the rest of the aisle. Everything was going as planned until Scar looked up to see Miles.

                It wasn’t that Scar had never seen Miles before. Scar had seen Miles every morning when he woke up for years. It was just that he’d never seen him like this, clad in wedding attire as the morning sun lit his features. As he’d promised, he’d worn his military uniform, but Scar saw that Miles’ family had nevertheless gotten their ways. In lieu of military issued pants, Miles was wearing a kilt. There was a bowtie around his neck, and a blue kufi cap on his head. And, oh – here Scar’s heart fluttered – he had the red sash of Ishvala across his chest.

                Scar took all leave of his facilities. Forgetting what he was and was not supposed to throw, Scar careless chucked the horseshoe over his shoulder. It made a clang as it hit metal, and Scar heard Edward Elric shout “Hey!” He turned to see what had transpired, but he continued walking forward. As a result, rather than stepping over the broom that he and Miles would jump on their way out, he instead stumbled into it. Careening forward, he crashed into one of the posts holding up the wedding canopy, causing it to collapse on his master, Miles, himself, and the rest of the wedding party.

                There were gasps from the wedding guests, until Scar’s great booming laughs were heard from underneath the wedding canopy. After a moment of wiggling, he lifted it up so that those under it could be seen. 

                “Well?” he said to Master Isaiah. “Marry us!”

                Master Isaiah chuckled and proceeded with the ceremony. Rings and kisses were exchanged. Grandmother Ciara stepped forward to bind Scar and Miles’ hands together. They stepped on the bottle and jumped over the broom. Grandfather Lekan came forward with a platter so that Scar and Miles could feed each other kola nuts, cayenne, lemon, vinegar, and honey. And Scar and Miles each took the pen offered by Master Isaiah and signed their signatures on the marriage contract that he presented. There were pictures afterward and then the reception. Then good-byes had to be fared to the houseguests, and Marcoh’s house had to be constructed. Eventually, however, it was just Scar, Miles, and Adva. With peace finally upon them, Scar and Miles filed their taxes – jointly.

               

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to send a big shout out to everyone who commented and gave kudos to any of the fan fics in the series. Much appreciation also goes out to the internet, for providing information on everything from frostbite signs to the names of classical medical texts to Jewish, Yoruba, and Irish wedding traditions. A special thanks to http://www.behindthename.com/ and http://surnames.behindthename.com/ for naming ideas, and to http://isl.org.il/en/home-page-2/ for sign language assistance.


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